Congressional Candidate: 'Hips Can’t Legislate But Maybe They Should'

A Democratic congressional candidate in Missouri is getting raves for clapping back against anyone who tries to body shame her.

Cori Bush, a St. Louis community activist and nurse challenging longtime Rep. Lacy Clay (D) in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, posted a tweet Sunday featuring four pictures of herself in various outfits.

“I look like women in my district, who I serve. If elected, ALL OF THIS goes to Congress,” Bush wrote. “Hips can’t legislate but maybe they should! NO BODY SHAMING.”

As a candidate I’ve heard my hips are too big, and not just from trolls. “Wear dark pants.” Well, I look like women in my district, who I serve. If elected, ALL OF THIS goes to Congress. Hips can’t legislate but maybe they should! NO BODY SHAMING #WomenInPolitics! #thesehips Deal pic.twitter.com/l1K5oZ4E0I

It’s unclear whether Bush’s tweet was meant as a response to a specific insult or as a general statement. Regardless, many people on social media responded positively to her call for no more body shaming.

I will be the first to admit, that when Shakira's 'Hips Don't Lie' came on, my hips were the first on the dance floor. Take your hips to Congress. pic.twitter.com/xRQAwW4e6A

Dear haters, it’s 2018. Even my friend’s kid’s Barbies have hips. And human women are actually allowed to walk around in their natural bodies and participate in public life. Shocking! pic.twitter.com/vXneHhUqK6

Bush, who participated in the 2014 protests against the Ferguson, Missouri, police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown, stresses her advocacy.

“Cori has felt the burden of being uninsured and the pain of homelessness,” says a statement on her campaign website. “She has endured racism and sexism. ... And Cori Bush stands tall, using her experiences as fuel to fight for the disadvantaged, the disenfranchised, and the voiceless.”

Bush has mentioned her body image before. In 2016, during her unsuccessful campaign for U.S. Senate, she told people at a rally how she stands against social injustice.

“For some reason, my round hips and my dark skin says that I must make less money than my counterparts and I don’t understand that,” she said at the time.